Two years after shooting, UNLV community gathers to remember ‘unthinkable tragedy’

Late in the morning of Dec. 6, 2023, Kayla Cornwell left her upper-level Japanese language course taught by one of her favorite professors, Naoko Takemaru, and walked to the school’s Lied Library, where she worked a part-time job.

Cornwell, a UNLV senior back then, didn’t know at the time that she wouldn’t see her beloved professor alive again. Minutes later, a gunman would arrive on campus and later shoot and kill Takemaru, 69, and UNLV professors Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, 64, and Patricia Navarro Velez, 39.

“I just remember sitting at my computer in the library and the screen turned red and it said there was an active shooter,” Cornwell said. “I was thinking it was just a drill or an error, but then somebody got on the intercom and said it wasn’t a drill.”

Saturday morning, Cornwell, who graduated last year, was back on campus with about 200 others for an outdoor remembrance ceremony at the school’s Donald C. Moyer Amphitheater, two years to the day since the shooting that rocked the UNLV and greater Las Vegas communities.

Last year, Cornwell, 25, was announced as the first recipient of a memorial scholarship from the UNLV Foundation in Takemaru’s name. Students Mark Robles and Sonia Plascencia Zacarias were also announced last year as recipients of memorial scholarships in the names of Chang and Navarro Velez, respectively.

Speaking during the 45-minute ceremony, Cornwell said getting the scholarship was something that was “emotionally transformative” and said she remembered fondly that Takemaru would take the time to get to know every student in her classes.

“She emphasized compassion above all else,” Cornwell said. “Through her class, I became spellbound by the kindness and power that exists across languages.”

A ‘blur’

Afterward, Cornwell talked about what she remembered from the day the shooting happened, though she said much of it remains a “blur” two years later.

“We ended up bunkering down in one of the library manager’s offices for about two hours,” Cornwell said. “I do remember going single-file as we left the library building with a bunch of cops around us. It felt very surreal.”

Gunman Anthony Polito also shot UNLV assistant professor Daraboth “Bot” Rith, 37, 10 times, leaving him critically injured.

Rith, along with some victim family members, including Chang’s widow, attended the ceremony, which included musical performances and a blessing from Las Vegas Paiute Tribe Vice Chairman Chris Spotted Eagle.

Kate Hausbeck Korgan, UNLV’s acting executive vice president and provost, said Rith’s “resilience and unwavering spirit” showed “the true meaning of strength and perseverance in the face of adversity.”

Polito died that day in a shootout with police. According to a report released earlier this year by the Metropolitan Police Department, Polito was was possibly “depressed” and likely set out on a “suicide mission.” He had also previously sought employment at UNLV.

Healing garden plans

UNLV leaders, including Interim President Chris Heavey, talked about a planned healing garden near Beam Hall, where the shooting happened. The garden is expected to feature trees, flowers and benches that will feature the names of the victims.

It was inspired by responses to a campus-wide survey asking for a memorial that looked natural and felt tranquil, school officials said.

“This will be a permanent site for reflection and remembrance,” Korgan said.

Heavey called the last two years a “gradual journey” toward regaining normalcy on campus as UNLV community members have sought mental health support and painted murals to honor the victims.

“This was an unthinkable tragedy that left a deep scar on this community,” Heavey told onlookers Saturday. “We recognize that the events of that day remain a significant part of our shared history. It’s something we will never forget.”

Cornwell, who said she’s now working at an Amazon warehouse in the valley, plans to eventually move to Japan. The Green Valley High School graduate said she wants to work as a translator.

“I want to just take the things that she taught me, treating everyone with kindness and caring for everyone around me, and embody that as much as I can,” Cornwell said.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.